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The Bridgwater area was left without a public pool after Splash closed

A new pool will be built in the grounds of the new Chilton Trinity School in Bridgwater despite local protests.

Bridgwater Forward said the proposed location was difficult to access and people preferred not to have a public pool so close to a school.

More than 1,200 people signed a petition which obliged Sedgemoor District Council to hold a special meeting to discuss the pool's location.

However these concerns were dismissed and the original plans remain in place.

'Growing town'

Ian Tucker from Bridgwater Forward said: "Bridgwater is a growing town and we feel that it should have swimming pool right in the middle of town, not right on the outskirts.

"The last thing a place like Bridgwater needs is a supermarket right in the middle of town which will compete with the town centre shops."

The pool and leisure centre will be built alongside Chilton Trinity School as part of the Building Schools for the Future programme.

The leader of the district council, Duncan McGinty, said: "A number of their concerns have been addressed as part of the planning application that went before the county council and there will be services to get people to the site, which is not that far away."

The preferred site for protesters is where the old Sedgemoor Splash used to be. It was closed down in August 2009 and demolished three months later.

Although Tesco has expressed its intent to come forward with an offer to buy the land, no formal offer has yet been made. This is not expected to happen until the beginning of December.